In the early 19th century, the mystery of Kaspar Hauser, the ‘missing European prince’ who aroused great curiosity in Europe, has finally been solved thanks to modern forensic techniques. More than 200 years into this complex case, a new study may have revealed Hauser’s true identity. However, this development has also raised some new questions.
Let’s first take a look at the case of the missing prince Kaspar Hauser
Kaspar Hauser, born in 1812 and died in 1833, was a German teenager who claimed to have grown up in complete isolation in a dark cell. Hauser’s claims and his subsequent death from a stab wound caused great controversy.
Theories at the time suggested that Hauser was a prince of the Grand Duchy of Baden, hidden by royal intrigue. Other theories suggested that Hauser was an impostor. This new research was conducted to clarify the situation.
The mysterious reappearance of the missing European Prince Kaspar Hauser
In 1828, the story of a young man who suddenly appeared in Nuremberg, Germany and introduced himself as “Kaspar Hauser” aroused great interest across Europe. Hauser had allegedly been locked in a dungeon for years and carried only two letters. In these letters, Hauser stated that he had been kidnapped by a “mysterious man” and held in a dungeon.
In recent years, an international team of scientists led by geneticist Turi King has attempted to unravel his true identity by comparing Kaspar Hauser’s hair and blood samples with the DNA of descendants of the House of Baden. Previous analyses in the early 1990s had produced conflicting results, and some scientists had suggested that the blood samples might have been faked. However, this new research, using modern DNA analysis methods, has confirmed the authenticity of Hauser’s DNA samples.
According to the results, Kaspar Hauser’s mitochondrial DNA does not match the descendants of the Baden Dynasty. This proved that Hauser had no familial connection to the House of Baden and that the ‘Prince Theory’ was wrong. Genetic analysis shows that Hauser was of Westeurasian origin, but this information is not enough to determine his exact geographical origin.
You can read the research paper here. What do you think about this historical event and today’s scientific developments? We look forward to your comments.
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